Dark Days Are Here
by DarkFireheartNinja
Summary: Even after defeating Aliea Academy there is a much bigger threat looming on the horizon. The Raimon Eleven have been betrayed and brutally defeated. Thus Endou vows to get his revenge on those who betrayed him, even if it means to walk in the darkness.
1. Prologue

**Dark Days Are Here**

Even after defeating Aliea Academy there is a much bigger threat looming on the horizen. The Raimon Eleven have been betrayed and brutally defeated. Thus Endou vows to get his revenge on those who betrayed him, even if it means to walk in the darkness. Request by jameis. Rated M for adult themes and character deaths; alot of character deaths.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

**Prologue **

"_Guys? Wha-what happened here?" All around the soccer field lay the broken bodies of his friends. Everyone... _

"_Oh God, be alright!" he screamed as he ran to the closest body and turned it over. "Nnnoooooo!" It was Goenji. No matter how hard he shook his friend's shoulder the flame striker's eyes only continued to stare lifelessly back. "N-n-no way..." He ran to the next one. It was Tsunami, whose face bore an uncharacteristic look of total fear. The next one was Kogure; his body was bent in a grotesque way. A few meters from him lay Tachimukai, Megane, and Rika. The next ones were Ichinose and Domon, lying next to each other as if it were their final stand. The ground around them was deeply stained with their blood._

_Hot tears blurred his vision. He wiped them away furiously as he tried to understand what had happened._

* * *

><p><em>Just a couple of days ago, they had returned home after finally defeating Aliea Academy, and were greeted by the cheers of their friends who had been hospitalized. <em>

_Someoka had slapped him heartily on the back, shouting, "Now that's our captain!"_

_Kazemaru had apologised for leaving but his words were cut short by the hot, passionate kiss. "I-I guess we're good?" he had said, blushing. He was rewarded with another kiss._

_They had celebrated the end of the aliens' reign of terror. It had been a night of merriment; everyone was so happy... But what happened now? Why? Why are his friends dea-_

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Endou," a voice, a strangely familiar voice, lazily called him. Endou turned slowly and stared at the group of people, their faces hidden by their hoods, standing on the edge of the field. <em>

"_Who are-?" Before he even began the question they all removed their hoods. But Endou only had eyes for the teal-haired person in front of the group. "K-Kazemaru?"_

"_Yes, Endou."_

"_What are you doing? Cosplay?" Then he gestured towards the field, trying hard not to look at the bodies. "Never mind that now, look we need to get help! They're all-" _

"_They're. All. Dead," Kageno excitedly whispered each word. Endou blinked in surprise. Now that he had seen them properly these people were the original members who had been hurt in the beginning, the very people he'd sworn to avenge by stopping the aliens._

"_Ah well, such a tragic event. Wouldn't you agree, Captain?" Handa said, his tone mocking. The little group laughed; awful, evil laughter._

"_K-K-Kaze- Kazemaru?" Endou tried to keep the tears from his voice, but he couldn't; he felt like he was choking on them. What was going on? Why were his comrades acting like this; they weren't even concerned about their friends on the field. He stared at his lover. Kazemaru stared coldly back. Suddenly he grinned insanely and pointed to the field. _

"_What do you think, Endou? That is the team that defeated Aliea Academy but they were so easily destroyed by our team!" _

"_You- you did this?" Impossible. Kazemaru, Kurimatsu, Someoka, Handa, Max, Shourin, Kageno; they couldn't have done this evil thing! "You killed all our friends?" _

"_Yes, Endou," Kazemaru replied, lazily tilting his head, smirking. "We, the Dark Emperors, have destroyed the Raimon te-"_

"_NO!" Endou had launched himself at the other boy and grabbed his shoulders. He wanted to ask why he was doing this, but the expression of utter contempt on Kazemaru's face shocked him speechless. How could this be the same person who always had a kind, loving look; just the night before they had kissed at the Steel Plaza Tower, with the breathtaking view of the entire town under the stars stretched out before them... How could this be his Kazemaru?_

"_YOU'RE NOT KAZEMARU!" he screamed. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM? WHAT HAVE YOU BASTARDS DONE TO MY FRIENDS?" _

_The other boy's expression didn't change. The rest of the Dark Emperors however all appeared as if they were amused by the whole scene. _

_Suddenly they were all around him, surrounding him in a loose circle. Kazemaru smacked Endou away and stepped back, joining the circle. Then he pointed at his former lover and said, in a voice loaded with malice, "Destroy him."_

_Endou's eyes widened. Did he hear right? Did Kazemaru just say what he thought he said? A sudden intense pain exploded in his abdomen, forcing him to double over. Somehow one of the Dark Emperors had kicked a soccer ball but the speed was totally inhuman and it had caught him off-guard. Soon more came hurtling towards him, beating him down with merciless strength, each blow hard enough to create cuts on his skin. Endou couldn't see where they were coming from but he could hear the taunts as he tried to protect himself from the blows. _

"_Captain, are you allriiiight?"_

"_Here, Endou, catch this!"_

"_Are you really a goalkeeper? Is this all you can do?_

"_These are our weakest shots. Jeez." _

_The hits were too strong; Endou could feel his consciousness fading away. He was in so much pain, his entire body was screaming. When he collapsed the balls finally stopped. Everything was silent. He heard soft footsteps. Suddenly his head was yanked up, pulled painfully by the hair. He had been hit in the face a few times so his eyes were too swollen to be able to see anything. But he couldn't stop the tears from leaking; they hurt so much._

_Then he heard a voice, a beautifully familiar voice, saying something. "Shush, Endou... It'll all be over soon." Kazemaru... _

_Then darkness finally took him. _

* * *

><p><strong>This here fanfic is quite different from my usual stuff but the idea seemed interesting. Thanks of course goes to jameis. I will try to update later chapters soon. So please review; it would make me so happy! <strong>


	2. Shattered

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

**Shattered **

A crack of lightning lit up the sky, briefly illuminating the figure sitting motionless on a log, his head down. His dark brown hair was held up by an orange headband, and he wore a Raimon uniform. He was also notably bruised and filthy, as if he had fallen down a muddy slope. Or had dug himself out of a shallow grave.

The rain came down in torrents. Shutting his eyes Endou lifted his head, ignoring the painful twinge in his neck, to let the heavy drops fall on his face. It felt soothing to his battered skin. He sighed at the relief the cool rain provided.

"_What do you think, Endou? That is the team that defeated Aliea Academy but they were so easily destroyed by our team!" _

"_Shush, Endou... It'll all be over soon."_

Endou's eyes snapped open and he panted heavily. His injuries throbbed uncomfortably at the memory. "Kazemaru..." he muttered. _How could you? _Just thinking of his betrayal, remembering the agonized, lifeless stares of his murdered friends, caused a fire of rage to erupt within his heart. Panting, Endou pressed his palms to his face, wanting the feeling to go away but it was overpowering. Endou had never, _ever _before had such intense feelings of scorching hatred for anything; his life had always been pleasant, secure, blessed even. He had family, friends... Kazemaru... He slammed his fist hard into the wood of the log, smashing a hole in it. _Damn it!_

Not only had he barely escaped the same fate as the others, but to add insult to injury his so-called friends had even tried to ditch his body in the forest just outside of town.

_How could he do that? How could Kazemaru and my own friends fall so far, to destroy the peace we fought so hard to achieve? _

Endou stood up, a little shakily, and stared up at the dark sky. Another flash of lightning zipped through the sky, for a moment showing the expression on his face; it was cold, ruthless, but his eyes were filled with dark fire.

"Kazemaru," he whispered to the sky. "I will never, ever forgive you." Again the faces of Goenji, Ichinose, Domon, Rika, Megane, Kogure, Tachimukai, and Tsunami flitted through his mind. Their dreams and hopes had been cruelly taken away by the Dark Emperors. Endou clenched his fists tighty. _No more tears. Never again. _The Dark Emperors must pay for what they have done... the burning lust for revenge will not be quenched unless they are _destroyed_.

Suddenly he screamed, "I'M GOING TO AVENGE MY FRIENDS, YOU BASTARDS! EVEN IF I HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY DESTROY YOU, I'M NOT GONNA STOP UNTIL I'M SATISFIED!" A clap of thunder answered him, as if the storm agreed with the declaration. The rain fell regardless.

* * *

><p>|5 weeks later|<p>

Aphordi kicked to soccer ball half-heartedly, only sending it a few centimetres to the right. Sighing, he knelt down and stared at the field before him, but not really seeing it. _This field was we first played against Raimon, and they beat us. _The memory of that fateful day brought a sad smile to his face. Endou had been really something, encouraging his team even when he was so beat-up himself, and eventually showing the so-called gods what _real_ soccer was...

A tear ran unchecked down the boy's cheek. Then another, and then another. Aphrodi, or rather Afuro Terumi, couldn't hold back his tears and he made no attempt to wipe them away. Soon the air was filled with the sound of inconsolable sobbing. He didn't care if someone heard him; these tears were meant for Endou. The goalkeeper had been such a bright light; the fact that he was a little rough around the edges didn't mean a thing because he was so kind and brave. But now he was gone; disappeared as if into thin air.

Five weeks ago there was the "Raimon Tragedy", where eight members of the Raimon had been found dead on the blood stained soccer field of the school. Endou was missing; he had gone to school and never came home. The weeks that had followed the event were surreal. Every day the news stations kept repeating the story, following the police investigation, interviewing the surviving members of the team, the families of the victims, and even documenting Endou's search parties. They assumed that he must have been killed too and his body dumped somewhere so the search instead became one for his remains. He still hasn't been found.

The entire country watched the news; every single person in Japan knew the story off by heart. And where there were soccer fields, people left bouquets of flowers, signs, crosses and even soccer balls.

Then a week ago the police finally gave up on the investigation, which then led to the discontinuation of the search for Endou. This day had been the memorial service for the victims, held at Raimon Junior High. Aphrodi, of course, went. He had felt it was the least he could do, maybe get some closure while he was at it. But the whole thing was much harder to handle than he had thought. The school's enormous hall had been packed with people, mostly the student body and the bereaved families. He had found a seat far in the back and observed the people rather than listening to the service. It tore his heart, seeing these people, all strangers to him, silently crying or trying to keep strong but losing; his heart nearly broke when a little girl in the front row, probably Goenji's sister, began wailing for her big brother and she had to be taken outside. It really brought home the fact that the dead are _dead_ and they are never coming back. He then decided he couldn't take it anymore and silently left. Because he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, he ended up at the stadium, now crying his heart out.

"En-En-Endou," he whispered. Aphrodi repeated the name in-between sobs, eventually calming down. But he continued to stare at the field. _It wasn't that long ago we had that match against Daimond Dust here; I decided to join the team and help fight. _He had been so happy to play alongside Endou, to prove how much he had grown because of him. But now he may never see that big, happy grin that Endou pulled off so well, never practice with him again, never get the chance to truly show what a difference Endou had made to him. Sighing heavily, he slowly got to his feet, wiping his face with a handkerchief at the same time. He had to get back to school; they have a soccer match in a few days time. Aphrodi's lips curled into a bitter smile. Even with this tragedy life still goes on. Maybe people will forget all about it or maybe it'll become a timeless mystery, right up there with the Bermuda Triangle and Jack the Ripper.

As he turned to leave he spotted something out the corner of his eye. He turned sharply and stared into the shadows of the field entrance. But there was nothing. Was it his imagination? For a moment he was sure he had seen a very familiar flash of orange... _Nah, it can't be._ He shrugged then exited the field. The memorial was probably still troubling him; there's no way he could have saw Endou's trademark headband back there, right?

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, finally a nice long chapter. Sorry for the wait, I had to decide if this chapter was good enough. Anyway, from here on out things gonna get real interesting. Thanks for the reviews, and don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon. Peace!<strong>


	3. Sickness

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

**Sickness**

Four days after the memorial, Aphrodi now stood by the field entrance, silently watching his team mates' passes connect as they kept the ball away from the opposing team. Zeus was leading the first half 3 – 1, doing quite well despite having only 10 players on the field. The blond boy smiled ruefully at his bandaged ankle; he had twisted it during practice the day before, when Deio used his new sliding move. Aphrodi hadn't been paying attention and his ankle suffered as the result. It was a hard decision to make but Hera managed to convince him that they would be just fine with 10 players.

The former god sighed, gripping the crutch tightly. He is usually very attentive to his surroundings but lately he had been getting distracted. Because for the last five weeks he had been thinking of Endou; where was he, what had happened, even wondered _why_ was he thinking about Endou so much. Even when he tried to _not_ think of him, memories of him would lurk in the back of his mind, sometimes jumping out whenever Aphrodi saw something that strongly reminded him of the fiery Raimon captain, like a soccer ball for instance.

Maybe going to the memorial hadn't been such a good idea after all; he still didn't get any closure and he just felt guilty since he has only been thinking about Endou. The others who had lost their lives so brutally hadn't even crossed his mind before then...

"Hey," a voice called out behind him, nearly giving him a heart attack; he hadn't heard any footsteps, hadn't even noticed the presence of another person.

He turned around, heart still beating hard. Standing right behind him, much too close for comfort, was Kazemaru Ichirouta. Aphrodi would have jumped if it weren't for his injured ankle. Instead he carefully took a few steps back.

"Kazemaru Ichirouta?"

"It's been a while, Aprodi."

Aphrodi blinked in surprise. He hadn't seen the teal-head since their match during the Football Frontier, but he knew that Endou had been totally in love with him. He wondered how Kazemaru must be feeling about all this. It was _his_ friends and boyfriend who died after all. Said boy tilted his head slightly as he studied the blond, a small smile playing on his lips. His gaze was piercing Aphrodi, making him feel very uncomfortable. Those light brown eyes were moving down from his amber eyes to his mouth, to his throat, to his chest, even further down to his legs, and then back up, lingering on his lips before catching his eyes again. Aphrodi just stared at him, immobilised. _What the hell was that?_ His grip on his crutch tightened but he forced a smile.

"So how are you?" he asked politely. Kazemaru was silent, still staring at him. Then his smile grew bigger and his eyes widened.

"How have _you_ been?" the teal haired male replied, still smiling that smile that was really giving Aphrodi the creeps. "Have you been well?"

Gulping, Aphrodi replied that he was fine, thanks for the concern. _Now please leave!_ He didn't like the way Kazemaru looked with that creepy smile on his face. Not only that, but looking at Kazemaru brought back another memory of Endou.

* * *

><p><em>It was after the match with Choas. When he had been hospitalised for his injuries, Aphrodi had realized that this was his last chance to confess to Endou about his feelings. Who knows when they would see each other again? But he didn't know he was already too late. <em>

_When Endou came to visit him, they went up to the roof and then Aphrodi had asked if he knew what love was. He didn't really expect the soccer freak to know so it came as a shock when he smiled gently and answered that yes, he did. He then proceeded to chatter about this special someone while gazing at the sunset, so engrossed in his own dialogue that he didn't notice Aphrodi shaking. _

_Aphrodi knew then that he was talking about Kazemaru; he had heard that the captain had been depressed when the boy left and after hearing this glowing anecdote from _Endou_ of all people he put two and two, and up came Kazemaru Ichirouta. _

_So much for his brilliant confession; he was too damn late. _

* * *

><p>"You helped the team during Daimond Dust's attack, didn't you?" Kazemaru's voice brought him back to the present. Aphrodi nearly screamed, for Kazemaru was now standing so close that his brown eyes totally filled his field of vision. A stray thought ran through his mind; <em>that's strange, had his eyes always looked so dead?<em>

Startled, he retreated backwards, only for his back to hit the wall. Thankfully Kazemaru did not try to get closer; he was now looking out to the field where the second half was just beginning.

Still keeping his eyes on field, Kazemaru muttered lazily, "Anyway thanks for your help... for what it's worth."

"Pardon?" _Was that all he had come for? And acting all creepy to top it off? _ "Oh, yes... Don't worry about it," Aphrodi replied but the other boy seemed more interested in the match. _Why was he acting so odd?_ Perhaps he was still in shock after all this time?

Clearing his throat, Aphrodi said in a clear voice, "I'm so sorry for your loss." Kazemaru's head snapped back to him, the smile gone and replaced with a deep frown.

"What did you mean by that?" he asked slowly, dangerously. Aphrodi started. _Huh? All I said was that I'm sorry for the deaths of his friends. What's so strange about that?_

Kazemaru continued to glower. Aphrodi was suddenly aware of an air of heaviness, as if the other boy's glare was putting pressure on him. His heart was beating painfully against his chest; he could even feel a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek.

"I-I just mean, I know how much Endou loved you and I'm sorry for your friends' deaths. That's all," he said quickly, pressing himself against the wall. Right now he wanted nothing more than to get away from this person.

"Oh, right. Of course, thanks," the smile was back on. Kazemaru was back to his creepy, amicable self. He returned his gaze to the field. "My, my, your team's pretty strong!" he remarked casually.

"I beg your pardon?"

Without answering, Kazemaru merely continued to grin, and then he rotated on his heel and walked away, fading into the shadows. Aphrodi only stared after him thinking, W_hat. Just. Happened?_

One minute the teal-haired boy had been smiling like an insane person, the next he became totally dangerous, then the next he was all smiles again. He didn't know what but he knew there was something seriously wrong with Kazemaru's behaviour; was he just acting out of grief? He remembered how Kazemaru had looked him up and down, a gaze that seemed almost obscene. Was that really how someone would act after losing a loved one?

Disgust filled him. How could Endou have loved such an appalling person?

The sound of a whistle blown three times rang through the air, followed by loud cheering, rowdy and joyous. It seemed to dispel the troubling feeling Kazemaru had left behind. Aphrodi remembered the match and spun around, nearly tripping over his crutch. _Damn that Kazemaru, he made me miss the match! _Aphrodi looked up at the score board and smiled. Zeus Junior High had won the match 4 – 2, and without so much as a drop of the so-called 'Aqua of the Gods'. He wished Endou could see them now...

_Hm?_ Aphrodi narrowed his eyes and squinted up at the stands across the field. Was that a flash of orange he had just seen in the shade of the stands? Just like that day...He tried to spot it again but the audience were already moving to the exits, there were just too many people. "Damn," he muttered, frowning.

"Hey, Aphrodi!" the boy looked down at the sound of his name and seeing his team coming towards him he slapped on a smile and waved in greeting.

"Congratulations! You all did well!" he told them. The team grinned back happily then headed towards the locker room, all except Deio who was gazing at his captain's bandaged foot with a look of guilt. Aphrodi caught his gaze and smiled kindly.

"It's alright, Deio," he smiled in reassurance. "It was entirely my fault, not yours." The big defender only nodded then followed after the team.

After a while, Aphrodi limped clumsily out onto the field, stopping at the very edge. He gazed at the ground then up at the stands. This match was the first Zeus has had since the Football Frontier and he wished he could have been a part of it. Aphrodi sighed and hobbled along the edge until he came to the other entrance that their opponents had come through. _Hm, the field looks a little different from this side_, he thought aimlessly.

Suddenly he felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck, like he was being observed. Slowly he turned his head, careful to make it appear as if he were merely looking around. _Please don't be Kazemaru, please don't be Kazemaru, please don't be Kazemaru_, he chanted to himself as he squinted out the corner of his eye.

Yes, someone is watching him, hidden in the shadow. In fact it was like he/she/it was merging with the darkness, making hard to see clearly. But there was a flash of bright colour, just a little bit... _Is that an orange headband?_ Throwing caution away he spun around and charged, or rather hobbled really quickly, toward the entrance. The target seemed to be surprised, hesitated before turning to flee. But Aphrodi, surprisingly, was faster and he had already reached the entrance. Staring at the retreating figure, he uncharacteristically did the first thing that came to mind. He held up his crutch and threw it like a javelin, ignoring the sudden pain that shot through his ankle. The crutch flew true, smacking its target in the back of the knees. The person gave a surprised shout as he fell forward. Aphrodi was immediately upon him, turning him over.

It was his turn to let out a sound of shock. For beneath him was the one and only Endou Mamoru, with his unmistakable orange headband, an unreadable look in his eyes and reddened face.

"En-E-E-En," Aphrodi could not even utter the name, he was too surprised. Endou gazed back, his face expressionless.

"Could you get off me? You're sitting on my stomach and it's getting hard to breathe," Endou said, before pushing the blond off roughly. He stood up unsteadily, coughing, brushing some dirt off.

Aphrodi fell over; a shot of pain went through his ankle, making him gasp. He stared up at the brown haired person with bewildered eyes. He looked like Endou, sounded like Endou, but he seemed different. _Is this really Endou? Since when was he so rough and cold?_ Aphrodi could feel the bitter vibes coming off the boy and he shivered, looking down at his hands. They were trembling.

Suddenly Endou collapsed in a fit of coughing. It sounded so painful Aphrodi cringed from listening to it. _What should I do? _Each hacking cough speared him in the heart. Endou sounded like he was in so much pain. He had an idea but he felt awkward about it; what if it had no effect? And would _this_ Endou even appreciate it?

"Endou," He inched closer to the fallen boy, reaching out a hand, placed on the shuddering shoulders and almost yelped. Endou felt scorching hot, he must be running one hell of a fever. Inhaling deeply, Aphrodi leaned forward and put both arms around the other's shoulders, holding him tightly while leaving him space to cough, trying to calm him, and himself. It was all he could do now. At first Endou didn't even react, his coughing grew worse. But the coughing finally subsided, replaced by heavy panting as Endou tried to catch his breath. After what seemed like years, his breathing seemed a little better though he was still panting. When Aphrodi looked down at Endou he saw that he had fallen fast asleep, brows furrowed, his lips moving only slightly. Aphrodi leaned forward and managed to catch a little of what he was whispering.

"Dark... Kaze-... no-one... to know..." None of it made any sense.

Aphrodi had so many questions running through his mind. Where had Endou been this whole time? What had happened to make him change so much? More essentially, _what_ the hell is going on? But a more immediate question was at hand; what the heck is he going do with Endou now?

* * *

><p><strong>Muhahahahaa! Behold my masterpiece, my longest chapter yet! YEEEESSSSS :D<strong>

**By the way, a little announcement: I will try my hardest to post the chapters on a weekly basis, on either Saturday or Sunday, effective from next week. This is due to school beginning next week, also that I need to work on my other chapter story "I'm Missing You", and finally because I have other family commitments. **

**If it is any inconvenience, I deeply apologise and beg your understanding.**


	4. Questions

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

**Questions **

_Warm… it's so warm… _He felt very comfortable; by moving around a bit, Endou realized that he was wrapped up in a large, heavy blanket. The mattress and pillow beneath him were super soft. _But where am I? _Keeping his eyes closed, he tried to recollect what had happened, and a rather strange image came to him: Aphrodi sitting on top of him, looking down while a bright light framed his silhouette, forming a halo as if he were really a goddess. Oddly he found that he couldn't remember anything else after that. But the painful memories from before were definitely intact.

Endou slowly opened one eye, then the other before quickly sitting up. His head throbbed from the movement so he shut his eyes again, pressing his palms to his forehead. The pain soon disappeared. He inhaled deeply and opened his eyes. Only then did Endou finally notice his environment, and he stared around, amazed.

The room was so big it made Endou's bedroom at home would look like a closet in comparison. In fact, although it was furnished simply, pretty much everything in the room was either extremely large or extremely fancy. The bed he was on was a huge four poster bed but it had the softest pillows and mattress he'd ever slept on. There was a large window next to the bed; the pale transparent curtains were closed but a shaft of light had snuck through. On the other side of the bed was a small but elegant dining table, even including a chair. Across from the bed stood a large wardrobe; beside it was the door, which stood ajar; and alongside that was a study desk, similar to one he had but much bigger. Looking down at himself, he was stunned to find that he was wearing golden silk pajamas. All these sudden discoveries were making his head spin real badly; plus he was beginning to get frustrated as he failed to piece together what had happened.

_Just what did happen? Where the heck am I? _He thought in alarm.

"Endou!" Even though it had called softly, he still jolted at the voice calling his name. Standing at the doorway across from him was Aphrodi, dressed in a frilly yellow apron over a white t-shirt and blue slacks, holding a large tray loaded with a bowl, chopsticks, napkin holder and a silver pot. His hair was tied up in a bun but a few wisps curled around his head. Endou stared, his mouth slightly open. The blonde appeared so… so… _feminine_… Well, he'd always seemed feminine but this vision at the door was like someone else entirely. Endou blinked twice to make sure he was really seeing Aphrodi.

The blonde smiled and asked, "How are you feeling, Endou?" Male voice; it was definitely Aphrodi.

"Where am I?" Endou asked, his defenses up again; but why was it suddenly so hard to do so around Aphrodi? "Is this your house?"

The addressed boy only nodded silently before crossing the room to him and setting the tray unto the dining table that was near to the bed.

"I made some chicken noodle soup," he explained. When Endou didn't say anything he sighed and added, "I thought you might be hungry." The pot lid was removed and a delicious fragrance wafted from the pot. Endou's stomach growled in response; he realized that he was _starving_. He gazed at the pot hungrily.

Aphrodi snickered and Endou snapped up with a glare. The other boy immediately stepped back, hands held up defensively.

"S-sorry," Aphrodi muttered.

Endou sighed and looked away from him. _It's not his fault._ He pushed the blanket off and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Aphrodi, but he kept an eye on him over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Aphrodi had his eye on him too. His heart was beating lightly; but it seemed to beat faster whenever he was with the boy. Unfortunately he was also a little frightened by this new Endou who'd glared so murderously just because he had caught a glimpse of the old Endou.<p>

"The soup's still here if you want it," he said nervously. "You'd better eat it before the noodles -"

"How long have I been here?" Endou interrupted abruptly.

"About 2 days."

"WHAT?"

Aphrodi again held up his hands in front as he explained, "It was quite a fever you had. So you were out for 2 days, and you still need some time to recover."

"Dammit!" Endou muttered darkly. Aphrodi sighed then he turned to leave. _How can I get through to him? _

Endou suddenly called him, "Hey, Aphrodi."

The boy froze. Slowly he turned to look back at Endou. He was staring at him, an unreadable look in his eyes. _Those don't look like Endou's eyes at all_, he thought.

"Yes?" he asked. Endou looked down and clenched his fists.

"Why?" he said finally. The blonde blinked at the question. "Why are you doing this? Helping me? We barely know each other!" Endou clarified. Again the blonde blinked, but this time he was more confused about his answer.

Even now, he wasn't sure why he had brought the Raimon captain to his home, even putting him in his bed, instead of taking him to the hospital, or even alert the authorities and his family... maybe it was because of how adamant Endou had been that no-one know he was alive, even though he was just mumbling in his delirium. Or maybe it was his feelings for him; could they be _that _strong?

"I-," he began then stopped. _What? _Why would he help him? "I don't really know," he said truthfully. Endou frowned at the words as if he didn't believe them, and even Aphrodi wasn't sure if they were true. Silence descended upon them. Then a growling sound broke the silence. Both boys looked down at Endou's stomach and its owner's face reddened slightly.

"I'll try that soup now," he muttered, not looking at Aphrodi as he slowly got off the bed and seated himself at the table. Aphrodi doled out the soup into the bowl and set it before him, a little self-consciously as he had never had to cook for anyone else before; in fact none of his own friends even knew where he lived.

"There you are!" he smiled as he stepped back from the table. Endou did not even grace him with a reply, focusing entirely on the soup, again showing what a different person he'd become. Once more, the questions that plagued Aphrodi rose up in his mind.

_What exactly had happened to him? Did it have anything to do with Kazemaru? Or does he know something about the "Raimon Tragedy"?_ The more he thought on it, the more he wanted to know. And the best source for answers was slurping noodles right in front of him. Maybe he could just ask-

Endou let out a great yawn not even half-way through the meal. Rubbing his eyes he continued eating. Aphrodi shook his head furiously. _No, he's still in recovery, and whatever happened must have been very bad. _Although he had questions of his own, he decided now is not the right time to ask. Endou obviously still needed time to recovery from his illness; barraging him with questions that might bring up some trauma would make things worse. He should take it step by step to get Endou to trust him again; then hopefully he'll hear the whole truth.

* * *

><p>-Meanwhile-<p>

In the Dark Emperors secret base, not too far from where Aliea Academy once stood, a lone figure stalked the corridor, heading toward one of the many labs of the complex. It was Kazemaru, still in his Raimon uniform, bag over one shoulder and his hands in his pockets. He was going to see if the nerds down at the lab had found other properties of the Aliea meteorite that could be useful to him. He fingered the little violet shard at his throat; to think such a small piece of the meteorite was making him so much more powerful, it was absolutely marvelous!

His lips curled into a wide smile as he remembered how the power had filled him, how it had sent a hot tingling sensation from the tips of his hair to his toes. Every time he used the meteorite he felt it, that awesome feeling that only those with power could know. Just thinking of it sent a satisfying shiver through his body.

Unexpectedly he heard voices from up ahead, loud and apparently arguing. As he neared them he saw the owners and groaned inwardly. They were Kabeyama and Megane Kuzuto (the other Megane's twin brother). Quite frankly Kazemaru hated both of them; they were weaklings who were not really after power, they only joined the Dark Emperors to escape the fate that had befallen the others. If it were not for the fact that they were talented, sort of, he would have killed them as well.

The two were so engrossed in their argument that they did not notice him approaching; he stopped as soon as he was able to hear what they were talking about.

"You tell him!" Kuzuto waved his arms widely. "It'll be better to tell him first before _they_ do."

The large defender was shaking like a leaf. "No, I can't!" he mumbled. The other boy swore.

"Why the hell not? If they hear it from someone else we'll both definitely be in trouble!"

Kabeyama was silent, and then he muttered wretchedly, "What's the difference?"

"Eh?"

"If we told them, we'll be killed on the spot. If they find out from another source, we'll be killed. Either way, it'll end the same."

"…."

Kazemaru smiled and turned away, silently gliding away from the two. _So they must have failed a mission, have they? _It'll be amusing to see which option they'll go with. But Kabeyama was right; they will be killed. Kazemaru will see to that.

He will not tolerate weaklings in his outfit. Ever.

_For the Dark Emperors failure is not an option; it will never be option, Endou…_

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, well… here's chapter 4, and ohhh, look! Kazemaru makes an appearance; it's a little crappy because I'm a little sleep deprived right now, so please forgive me! <strong>


	5. Desires

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

**Desires **

Kazemaru stared down with a satisfied smile at the figure sleeping in his bed. He pulled up his shorts and then turned to pick up his jersey, which had been tossed about carelessly when they had come in an hour ago. He looked again at the figure, who was now stirring uneasily and he thought back to how they had ended up like this. Ah, right, because he got rid of Endou. And without Endou around, his body had remembered that he had certain _desires_ that needed fulfilling. But of course the Aliea meteorite had bestowed upon him the power to do anything and have anyone he wanted. His smile grew wider.

There was a whimper behind him and he turned sharply. The figure was beginning to awake from his short nap, and he was probably remembering the little _activity_ that just happened. Miyasaka Ryou slowly sat up, his eyes carefully averted from Kazemaru as he gathered the blankets around him in an attempt to cover himself.

"How are you feeling, _Ryou_?" Kazemaru emphasized the other boy's name, almost laughing when his quivering junior twitched like a rabbit. He moved toward the bed, a hand reaching out to touch the tanned skin. Seeing the action, Miyasaka whimpered, pulling the blanket closer to him as he scooted away from the hand, and pressed himself against the wall, staring at his senior with wide, frightened eyes. "What's wrong?" Kazemaru asked, pouting. "You said you'd do _anything_ to help me forget what happened to Endou, didn't you?"

"This isn't what I meant!" Miyasaka cried out, tears forming in his eyes. "I-I didn't mean this at all. I- I've told you that I don't f-f-feel like that for you, senpai! But y-you rap- you f-forced- " he couldn't continue, breaking down into sobs when he remembered what his senior had done to him. Kazemaru sighed disgustedly and looked away, wanting to shut away the sobbing.

God, how he hated people who cried. _It's just so damned annoying, and then they try to talk at the same time and everything comes out incoherent._ And of all people, he knew Miyasaka knew this too yet here he was, bawling his eyes out in front of him. If only he would just shut up!

"Miyasaka," he hissed, malice seeping into his tone. Immediately Miyasaka stopped crying. _Finally! _"Good boy," Kazemaru nodded approvingly, then he put his hand on the younger boy's bare chest, and began caressing the smooth skin affectionately. The younger boy flinched and instinctively raised a hand to hit the teal-head, but Kazemaru caught it in an iron grip. He smiled sweetly when Miyasaka yelped in pain. His junior's wrist was so small, so fragile; he could simply snap it in half if he wanted to. Instead he grabbed a handful of blonde hair and lean back, roughly pulling the struggling boy away from the wall.

"LET GO!" Miyasaka screamed as he pounded Kazemaru with his free fist. But his captor just laughed off the hits as if they were nothing. Then he suddenly let go of the hair, only to seize the flailing hand in the same iron grip.

Again Kazemaru contemplated breaking both wrists then decided against it. Miyasaka was screaming like a madman as he struggled to free himself, refusing to shut up even when his captor threatened to break his wrists. _Damn it, he'll alert the neighbors if he keeps this up! _Kazemaru thought, more annoyed than panicked.

Yet still the blonde kept screaming, even though it got hoarser and hoarser. _Someone, anyone, help me! Please! _he thought desperately. He coughed a few times before continuing to scream.

CRACK!

Suddenly Miyasaka felt overwhelming pain racing up his arms, clouding his mind and shocking him speechless. He would've screamed in pain but he had no voice now. It took him to realize why he was feeling so much pain; Kazemaru had just made good on his threat.

Grinning like the demon he is, Kazemaru leaned forward and whispered softly in his ear, "I warned you." Swiftly he pushed the boy off the bed, onto the floor, and then stood over him. Miyasaka weakly begged and pleaded but Kazemaru was deaf to his voice. He said in a low voice, "Y'know, I really like you. Well, _liked_ you. I thought you were strong yet cute, but instead you're weak… but still cute. Argh, I really overestimated you!" He roughly turned over Miyasaka, who had suddenly gone quiet, and then dropped down to straddle him, sitting on his stomach and cutting his breathing short. However Miyasaka had this glazed look in his eyes; although his eyes were only half-closed, he was already unconscious due to the pain from his broken wrists and the lack of oxygen. He probably didn't even hear what Kazemaru had said. Grin slipping from his face Kazemaru glared at him and raised a hand to smack him awake, but then an evil idea popped in his mind. Seeing his beautiful junior in so much pain had made him horny again.

"Oh, why not?" he said out loud to the unconscious boy. "I'll have some more fun with you before you go, okay." Then he got up and picked up Miyasaka, gently holding him bridal style before dumping him unceremoniously on the bed and stripping his clothes off. Kazemaru then stood back to admire the naked body before him. It looked so innocent, so untouched… _not anymore hehehe._ But then he gazed at the blonde hair that framed Miyasaka's head. For some reason he was strongly reminded of Aphrodi's beautiful long golden hair, and Miyasaka transformed into the love god(dess?). He became hard at the thought. "Well, no more wasting time," he muttered as he practically jumped onto the bed. After that he went on to satisfy his sick desires.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter. A lot of stuff happened last week and I just didn't have the time to finish this chapter. So, sorry, please forgive me. And I totally appreciate everyone waiting for this chapter, so thank you!<strong>

**Okay, I decided to give Kazemaru his own chapter just to showcase how evil I've made him. I don't know how this scene came about but, yeah, I feel sorry for what I did to Miyasaka (in case you don't remember him, he's the girly-looking kid from the track team and had tried to make Kazemaru quit the soccer team).**


	6. Request

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

**Request**

_It's been 3 days since Endou woke up_, Aphrodi thought as he stared up at the ceiling of his parents' bedroom. Since Endou was in his room, for the past 5 days Aphrodi has had to sleep in his parents' bed, which was alright for the time being as the both of them had flown to Seoul for a friend's wedding over 2 weeks ago. But this arrangement can't last forever. _It'll be another 3 days till my parents return home. Then what am I going to do?_ He gazed around the room. It was the same size as his own, but their furniture was fancier and arranged in a way that made the room seem bigger. _Guess it comes from having an interior designer for a mother._

His parents' bed was one of those fancy four posters that came with curtains, the kind seen in medieval themed movies, with extremely comfy pillows. Two dainty chests of drawers flanked the large bed. To the right of the bed there was a large window which took up one entire wall, with light curtains pulled across it but not completely blocking the beams of moonlight. In front of that stood two bamboo armchairs and across from them was the large walk-in wardrobe. The bedroom door was just on the left side of the bed. Framed family pictures hung on the white walls. Looking at them, full of happy moments of picnics, vacations and school pictures, made Aphrodi think of Endou's parents; they were grieving for a dead son who isn't really deceased. He felt sorry for them. And what about the parents of others who _were_ dead? They will never see their children again and they _know_ their kids are dead. He felt even sorrier for them. He could only feel sorry because he could never imagine the anguish that only parents could feel.

He was about to finally drift off with this morbid thought when there was a loud CREAK right outside the door. He sat up quickly, heart thumping.

It took him a while to remember that even Endou still had to answer the call of nature and that he would have to walk past this room to get to the bathroom at the end of the corridor. He relaxed and flopped back, bone-tired but his mind was more awake than ever as he listened for Endou's footsteps. The situation now between them was a little tense to say the least. Aphrodi had become more nervous around him, although not out of fear but more out of his feelings for him, which seemed to grow more in his presence than anything. He also worried about Endou taking off now that he was recovered from his illness, and that they may never see each other again. Endou for his part wasn't talking unless he absolutely had to; since their last talk over 3 days ago, he'd sunk into silent brooding, spending most of his time in the room unless he needed to use the bathroom or if Aphrodi needed to change clothes. It didn't matter that they were both male, he would still wait outside the door for him to finish. It made Aphrodi's heart ache when he remembered how he had wanted to gag Endou for talking so much at their first meeting, but now he longed to hear him speak for as long as he wanted, about anything, even about Kazemaru. He shook his head furiously. _No, no, I wouldn't stand if he wanted to talk about that guy!_

Aphrodi covered his eyes with his arm and sighed. _Everything is just so complicated!_ He shut his eyes and tried to make his mind blank, tried to will himself to sleep as he sank into the pillows' softness. But sleep wouldn't come. Aphrodi then rolled onto his stomach and hugged the soft pillow close. He had a sudden flashback of how he had hugged a feverish Endou to soothe him. Aphrodi buried his face into the pillow in embarrassment. Endou hadn't mentioned anything about that hug, but maybe he had forgotten it due to his illness? He wasn't sure if that was good or not.

"Dammit, just go to sleep!" he scolded himself. "No good will come of rolling over worr-"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Aphrodi sat up in alarm. "Endou?" he called as he slid off the bed and slowly moved toward the door.

"Aphrodi, are you awake?" Aphrodi sighed in relief at Endou's voice, but then he tensed up again. Was something wrong? Why would Endou come to him now? Unless…

_He's planning on leaving. He probably wants to thank me and then he's going to walk out of my life again!_ Aphrodi tried not to panic as he put out his hand to turn the knob.

The door was barely open when Endou spoke. "Could you do me a favor?"

Aphrodi blinked. _Huh? _

"Pardon?"

"Could you do me a favor, Aphrodi? It would really help me out."

"Alright!" the word was already out his mouth before he had even properly processed what the boy just said. Endou wasn't smiling, grinning or doing anything with his face; he was so composed when he had spoken. Aphrodi tried to be as collected as his guest but his heart was beating so hard just from seeing his face. Endou's hard brown eyes gazed into his scarlet ones.

Endou took a breath and then, to Aphrodi's surprise, bowed deeply and said, "Please, can you check on my parents and on Kidou, Aki, and the others!"

Aphrodi blinked. Endou wanted him to do what?

"Please, just check if they're okay, that's all I want," Endou said. "I would do it myself, but… but it'll be better if you did it."

"B-b-but why-"

"Right now, you're the only one I can trust!" Endou snapped, straightening up to throw a fierce look at him, totally at odds with his words. Although Aphrodi was still reeling from his sudden request he was so relieved that Endou was talking to him, requesting this of _him_, that he wasn't planning on leaving him. Also he felt something from the boy, like a flicker of the Endou he knew, the kind, loud, bright Endou who was still in there. And right now, Endou needed him.

He nodded. "Of course, Endou."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I apologize for the late chappie, but my week has been so hectic lately I've barely had time to write anything. Also this chapter is a little short, because I was pressed for time. So again, I'm sorry for the wait.<strong>


	7. Mother

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

**Mother**

Heart in his mouth, Aphrodi raised his hand and pressed the door bell. He listened nervously as it rang through the large Kogarashi Manor. Nothing happened for 5 minutes so he pushed the bell again, and then he pressed his face to the window to see if anyone was inside. The house was pitch back, no signs of life. _Hm, maybe they went out, _he decided, sighing heavily. Perhaps he should come back later. After once more trying the door bell and knocking loudly on the door itself, he finally gave up and left the compound. As soon as he was out on the street he fished out from his left jacket pocket the list of names Endou had written for him that morning, and from his right jacket pocket he got out a blue pen. Aphrodi stared at the list unhappily. Many of the names on said list had "_will check on later_" written besides them. He finally wrote "_check on later_" next to Aki Kino's name and slipped the paper back into his pocket.

Endou's request rang through his mind. _"Please, can you check on my parents and on Kidou, Aki, and the others!" _He sighed. How did such a simple request become so difficult?All he had actually found out was that not a single person on the list was at home.

He had spent his Saturday morning scouring the whole of Tokyo for the addresses of Endou's friends. So far he had visited the Raimon mansion, the Otanashi residence, the Kidou's estate, and the Goenji's apartment, but no-one had answered the door, except for an elderly lady at the Goenji's, who had informed him that the family were on vacation and may not be back for some time. After she had shut the door, Aphrodi could have sworn that he heard muffled mournful sobbing from there, and he felt bad for her. He had then tried to find Touko's house, only to realize that as she is the PM's daughter, security would be super tight around her; he chose leave her for later. He even went to the Rairaiken restaurant looking for Coach Hibiki, but the place was closed and his attempts to find information from the neighboring shops were fruitless. Fubuki Shiro, he found out at least, came to the memorial service 2 weeks ago and had gone back to Hokkaido that very same day. But still- where the hell did everyone else go? Have they _all_ gone for vacation? Strangely, Kazemaru and some of the other Raimon members weren't on the list; Aphrodi figured Endou probably would've already checked up on them, and although he was glad he wouldn't have to see Kazemaru, his heart ached at the idea that Endou would personally go check on that teal-haired freak.

It was now very late in the afternoon. The next names on the list were Endou's parents. Aphrodi managed a slight smile. _Of course… Endou would want to know how his parents are faring. That's just like him. _"Alright, on to the Endou's!" he muttered, setting off down the street; it's good that they live nearby. After he visits them, he'll have to call it a day and go home… to Endou's possible disappointment.

He failed to notice a curtain shift in one of the higher windows of the manor, or the shadow watching him walk down the road.

* * *

><p>The Endou residence was a small but charming well-kept house with a reasonably large yard out back, good for playing one-on-one soccer if you wanted. Aphrodi could definitely imagine the soccer freak growing up here, probably running around in the yard chasing a soccer ball. But the house also had a slight gloomy atmosphere to it despite its pleasant appearance. Aphrodi inhaled deeply and exhaled, and then he made his way to the door. He expected it to be just like the houses before, quiet and empty. Before he even reached it however, the door opened. A lady, who looked uncannily like Endou, stepped out with a petite smile directed at him. Aphrodi was so surprised that he couldn't speak; he just mutely stood there wide-eyed.<p>

"Are you a- Ah! I mean were you a friend of… of M-Mamoru's," the lady asked, her voice slightly shaky even though she still smiled. _What a sad smile, _Aphrodi thought as he nodded and averted his eyes. He had noticed how puffy her eyes were, how faded her smile actually was, and how she had stumbled over her son's name. He just couldn't look her in the eye without wanting to tell her the truth that Endou's alive after all. "Well, please. Come in!" she said cheerily (though he could easily tell it was forced), stepping back into the house. Aphrodi followed her. Standing in the hallway, he gazed around taking in the furniture, the staircase, the many pictures on the wall, all showing Endou and his parents at various events. Seeing the cute grins of Endou from ages 1 through 10 made Aphrodi chuckle. _So this is where he was raised. How nice._ Then he caught sight of Mrs. Endou waiting at the end of the small hallway. She was gazing at the pictures too, a wistful smile on her face and tiny tears in her eyes. He couldn't bear it anymore.

"I- I- I'm so, so sorry for your loss!" he cried, bowing deeply to her, startling the woman. Straightening up again, he found her staring at him in surprise, an expression that was exactly like her son's. "Endou was very kind to me!" he continued. "He- he saved me; saved me from myself. I admire- admired him greatly!"

"You're in Zeus Junior High, aren't you?" she asked. Aphrodi nodded quickly. "Yes, I saw the match that day. I thought you looked familiar."

"I also played with him, with Raimon, against the alien team Daimond Dust. Endou… he was just amazing," Aphrodi added. "He's a- he was a great captain!" Mrs. Endou nodded, the smile back on her face.

"_Thank you_," she said. The words were so full of gratitude that Aphrodi was a little taken aback. She chuckled at his expression. "Every time our friends and relatives come over, they try hard not to talk about Mamoru in front of me. His friends don't want to talk about him. Not even my husband does anymore; he just works later than ever now. They all probably thought it would be painful, like I c-can't han-handle a-all those memories of m-m-my- my baby," she couldn't go on. She sank to the floor, her face in her hands and her shoulders shaking. Aphrodi tried to comfort her the best way he knew how: he hugged her tightly, not loosening his hold even as she turned in his arms; he let her cry out her anguish on his shoulder. At last she stopped crying but her head remained on his shoulder. "I- I'm sorry," she muttered when she finally moved away from him.

"No, it's my fault. I just came and started talking about him and making you sad-"

"No, no, I'm glad you did!" she beamed at him. "It's alright to remember, to keep those who are gone in our hearts. That's how they live on, you know: in our memories. My mother told me that when my father died."

"The Endou Daisuke that Endou was always talking about?"

"That's the one! Do you want to see the picture?"

"Uh, s-sure." Immediately she left the room. Aphrodi watched her lightly run up the stairs._ Poor woman_, he thought sympathetically, gazing again at the family pictures. He felt a little guilty for how she must be suffering while not even know her son is at his house. _So no-one even mentions Endou to her._ _She must be so lonely…_ light footsteps then announced her return. Suddenly she thrust the framed picture at him. Surprised, he took in the picture of the man Endou admired, and he had to admit, grandfather and grandson sure have a lot of similarities. They even have a penchant for orange headbands.

"He really resembles him, doesn't he?" Mrs. Endou asked. She had more thoughtful look on her face this time; Aphrodi didn't have to guess whom she was talking about. He simply nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Endou's mother jolted, as if she had remembered something terribly important. "Good grief, where're my manners?" she laughed. "Please, come in and have some tea!" Aphrodi was just politely declining the offer, saying that he has to leave, when his treacherous stomach growled loudly. "I insist! Just a cup before you go," she laughed. Again, Aphrodi was struck at the amazing resemblance and realized he truly missed Endou's charming smile.

He vowed, as Endou's mother gently pulled him to the kitchen, to make Endou smile just as brightly again. He wanted to see Endou happy and smiling again, to return to the Endou he had fallen for.

* * *

><p>-the Kagorashi Manor-<p>

Aki watched the blonde haired boy leave the compound with bated breath, hoping that he wouldn't turn around suddenly and see her in the window. She breathed in relief when he was no longer in view.

"Is he gone yet?" Touko asked tentatively from her position on Aki's bed. Letting the curtain fall back and enveloping the room in partial darkness, Aki nodded. Touko exhaled noisily in relief. "Man, I thought he was never gonna leave! What did he want anyway?"

"I don't know," Aki answered. "Kidou said Aphrodi was going around to everyone's homes, but I don't know what to think of it."

"Isn't he our ally?"

"I don't know." Aki truly didn't know what to make of Aphrodi's sudden interest in their well-being since she still didn't fully trust him. _I wish I were more like Endou_, she thought. Endou trusted and saw the best in people, even if they were enemies. _Just like Ichinose had… Domon was cynical but he was beginning to open his heart more- _

"Oi, Aki? Are you alright?" Touko said in alarm. Her voice made Aki realize that large tears had been streaming down her face without her knowing.

"S-s-sorry. I was just thinking about Endou and Ichinose."

"I know… I miss our friends too."

Since that day she didn't know who to trust anymore. Kazemaru and the members who were left were acting weird. Kidou, for some reason, had taken his sister and gone into hiding. Only occasionally would he send cryptic messages via Touko's private phone. Like this afternoon, when he called and told them about Aphrodi going around checking up on them. Now they're not sure who to trust. Paranoia has gripped everyone. She only had Touko to turn to now, the two of them united in their grief.

In the silence, noon soon became night.

"Aki?" Touko's voice pierced the darkness.

"Yes, Touko?"

"Don't you think maybe… Aphrodi could really be our ally?"

"…"

"Aki? Okay, how about Kazemaru? You still talk to him?"

"I… I really don't know what going on him." Who could they trust?

* * *

><p><strong>Hello, everyone! I know, I know, y'all must have been tired of waiting, but I'm back now. I've just had a really hectic week (uni is a real bugger) and it's causing me a massive headache. But anyway, hope you liked chapter 7, and forgive its lateness!<strong>


	8. Unease

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

* * *

><p><strong>Unease<strong>

When Monday arrived at Raimon Junior High, the main topic of day was Miyasaka Ryou's disappearance over the weekend. Although the teachers tried to reassure the students to continue living as normal they were still moving in groups; no-one felt safe to even walk the school halls on their own. Uneasiness had settled like a giant suffocating blanket over the school. As for Miyasaka's disappearance (or _absence_ as the teachers stubbornly maintained), some people said that the young sprinter had simply run away from home (his home situation apparently isn't very good) while others insisted that he's the latest victim of the Raimon Tragedy. People were understandably sensitive, what with Endou Mamoru's disappearance also on their mind. But everywhere everyone whispered behind their hands:

"Hey, did you hear? Miyasaka Ryou from the track team went missing last week."

"Scary! How do you know?"

"I heard it from this dude who lives across the street from Miyasaka's house. He said there were police and everything all over the neighborhood!"

"How awful!"

"I know, right."

"I wonder what happened to him. Maybe he ran away from home?"

"I bet he did."

"I don't think so… he didn't seem like the runaway type."

"I wonder what happened?"

"I wish I knew too."

The culprit himself always just smirked to himself whenever he heard such quiet discussions from little groups of classmates that were dotted around the room. It was actually quite funny that everyone knew he and Miyasaka were close but no-one wanted to "compound his pain of losing his friends" (as one well-meaning classmate had put it) by directly asking him about the young track runner. It's hilarious that none of them even suspected that _he_ had something to do with the disappearance. During morning break, when the discussion flared up again, Kazemaru had to bury his face into his note book to conceal his sniggers. Just thinking about the hundreds of people who didn't know killers were among them… it just puts a grin on his lips.

"G-good morning, Kazemaru!" a girl called from behind. The teal head right away replaced his insane grin with a more agreeable, normal smile.

"Ah, good morning!" he replied, briefly nodding to her before returning to his book. It's not unusual that people talked to him casually now that his 'mourning period' has passed, but something in the girl's manner hinted that she wanted to ask something else.

"Did you hear about Miyasaka?" she blurted suddenly. "You two are friends right? Do you have any idea what's up?"

The teal head glanced at her and her amusingly shocked friend, and then back to his book, resting his chin onto his fist. '_Well, what a surprise… someone actually asks me about Ryou._' Not only that but he could _feel_ the overwhelming curiosity of the others who overheard the question, everyone waiting for his response. "I have no idea what's up, but personally I think he's fine," he answered, shrugging nonchalantly (still breathing does constitute as fine, doesn't it?). "He's too smart to let anything bad happen to him." '_Yeah right.' _Everyone seemed a little put out by the vagueness of his statement but accepted it anyway; the girl didn't look too convinced, but Kazemaru had already put his book down and was preparing to stand up. Her friend eventually engaged her again, allowing Kazemaru leave without further question. However, as soon as he was out in the blessedly deserted corridor someone called him from further down the corridor.

"Yo, Kazemaru!" the addressed boy turned at the greeting, initially annoyed but he grinned when he saw who it was.

"Morning, Someoka!" he said. He waited patiently, hands deep in his pockets as the forward drew level with him, and then he saw that the taller male was not smiling. He could tell that the pinkette (something even _he _will never call Someoka… at least not to his face) had a bone to pick with him. He got annoyed again; why can't someone just greet him for the sake of just saying hi? "So what's up?" he asked in a low voice.

"You had something to do with that kid from the track team." It was a statement. Always straight to the point, that's Someoka. Kazemaru tilted his head coyly, looking innocent and making the forward go "Tch". "Dammit, Kazemaru! You have got to control yourself better! People will get suspicious with all these disappearances."

"You think _I _killed Ryou?" Kazemaru snorted at Someoka's confused look.

"Didn't you?"

"Of course not! I'm still playing with him," he replied leeringly.

"Oh, what a relief," Someoka sneered sarcastically. "So your new plaything is alive and well, eh? Glad _you're _having fun." There was a hint of disgust in his tone which made Kazemaru narrow his eyes but he let it slide... for now.

"Whatever," Kazemaru huffed. Then he remembered an important piece of business he wanted to know. "Speaking of disappearances," he muttered, breaking off as a couple of boys jostled noisily past them.

Someoka got the gist of it and added as soon as they were alone again, "We dumped Endou in a fairly remote and random area, so far out we don't even remember where. I don't think anyone is gonna stumble on him by accident." Kazemaru nodded in agreement. The woods beyond Inazuma Town were vast and dense. In addition, he himself confirmed that his ex-lover had ceased breathing; he himself had overseen the shallow burial.

So why does he feel uneasy?

"How about Kidou and his sister? And Fubuki and Touko?" he asked, hoping to dismiss his uneasiness by focusing on their mission. They were supposed to have killed all the playersthat day but Touko, Fubuki and Kidou hadn't arrive when they were supposed to. Although it was enough that they at least killed Goenji, Ichinose and Endou, those four still running around are still liabilities. Especially the strategist, Kidou; he is certainly the most dangerous.

"There's still no word about them," Someoka answered.

"Hm… well keep on it," Kazemaru nodded and waved a hand, dismissing the forward. As he walked away, he clutched at his chest, feeling the hard Aliea stone under the fabric. Even when it is covered, he could still feel the energy pulsing from it. He was calmed by it. Of course, he's stronger than before; nothing and no one can put him down again. '_I shouldn't be scared… unlike Endou, the meteorite will never let me down._'

Someoka gazed after Kazemaru's retreating figure, his disgust now fully visible on his face. He gritted his teeth and stared out the window, wondering the same thing he had thought over and over ever since he joined the Dark Emperors: _'Why is that little psycho the captain?'_

* * *

><p><strong>I have returned! Muahahahaahahah! I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting, especially jameis, but finally here is chapter 8! (I'm sorry it's kinda short too, but I wanted to focus a little on Kazemaru) I know I said I said I would try to update on a weekly basis but then I hadn't anticipated the very busy schedule I would have this year, so updates might come later than they should (as you may have noticed). But I will keep updating as soon as I can. <strong>

**Thanks for the reviews and please enjoy! **


	9. Walls

**Dark Days Are Here**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of the characters of Inazuma Eleven; they belong to Level 5. I also do not own the idea of this story; that would be jameis. Although how I interpret it is my own.

_Italics-_ for thoughts, memories, emphasis or letters/emails.

* * *

><p><strong>Walls<strong>

In another school across town, a beautiful boy stood out alone on the small hill overlooking the Zeus soccer field. Aphrodi sighed and snapped his cell phone shut, and pocketed it. He had been trying to call his house but there had been no answer, of course. Not that he expected one, it's just he would like to know if his 'guest' was still hiding out there. When he had came home on Saturday (very late because Endou's mother kept churning out interesting tales of her son's childhood _and_ insisted he stay for dinner) he was instantly struck by the total silence of the house. He had called out for Endou but got no reply. Instead of finding the not-so-fiery captain he found a short vague note scribbled on a Post-It paper and stuck to his fridge; apparently Endou had gone out for something and that he would be back late. Although he had been relieved that he would not have to tell Endou about his failure, Aphrodi had chosen to wait for up for him in his room. Of course he eventually ended up falling asleep on the bed (he can still recall how the sheets had smelt like Endou and, on an embarrassing note, how the scent comforted him). Sunday morning came and Endou still wasn't back. It was then well into the afternoon, and Aphrodi was about to head out to look for him, when lo and behold Endou himself finally returned. Without so much as an explanation to his worried host, he had made a beeline for the bedroom. He was still in there when Aphrodi had left for school this morning.

Aphrodi was even more worried because Endou had had a weary look on his face, similar to when he had his fever. Whatever he had been doing that Saturday must have stressed and exhausted him. He sighed again and was immediately annoyed with himself. He hated often he has been sighing as if he were a girl in a shoujo manga, but with everything that's happened he couldn't help it. He didn't want to admit it but he knew the source of his unease was the brooding captain and whatever secret he was carrying. He had thought that because Endou had asked a favor of him that they were taking the first steps to being closer; now he realized that no such progress had been made at all. After all that time spent with the Raimon captain, there was still a huge gulf between them. Seriously, seven days and nothing had changed!

He stared up to the ridiculously clear blue sky, aimlessly wondering why it was such a fine day when he was feeling shitty.

"Good morning, Terumi!" a voice cheerfully called. The blonde turned at the sound of his Korean name; it wasn't often that people addressed him by it and it makes him glad when they do; as much as he liked his nickname, it was nicer to be recognized by his true name. He acknowledged with a smile the approaching Hera.

"Morning, Hera," he greeted. The brunette forward smiled back warmly at his captain, even after he had turned back to the field. Ever since they left Kageyama's control his teammates had grown more kind and honest; even, dare he say it, more human. They are all livelier now because they no longer thought they were apart from the world; it felt much, much better being normal rather than being gods. Especially Aphrodi; he had become more cheerful and relaxed, and he got along better with his teammates, truly becoming a good leader. But for the past few days the blonde seemed distant. His act of normality has fooled everyone else, but not Hera. He had felt that his friend was putting back up that barrier that had separated him and the world, just like he had back when they were foolish enough to think that they were gods. It seemed like he would rather be somewhere else even if he said the opposite, always strangely spacing out when he thought he was alone; sort of like he was doing now...

He joined his friend on the field, but while Aphrodi looked towards it, Hera studied his face. "What's with that look?" he asked, smirking a little when Aphrodi blinked and tilted his head.

"Huh? What look?"

"That wistful sort of expression. Here," Hera suddenly switched from smiling to a more melancholy look, an exact mirror of Aphrodi's expression. It was such a perfect imitation that Aphrodi just had to laugh. Hera returned the smile just as brightly. Aphrodi suddenly stopped; the very thought that he was just laughing so merrily surprised him. When was the last time he had laughed like that? The last time he'd heard it seemed like years ago. No, actually it was about five or six weeks ago, before the 'Raimon tragedy'. Well sure, he had smiled since then but it was the kind used to cover up pain not his usual bright one. "So what's on your mind?" Hera asked at once. Aphrodi shook his head and stuck on his cover boy smile as he said that he was fine. The obviously unconvinced Hera opened his mouth to say something else when the school bell rang through the air, signaling the end of their break. Relieved, Aphrodi led the way to class, Hera trailing behind.

From their short exchange at the field he could tell that something was definitely distressing the golden haired male but of course, even when it is glaringly obvious, Aphrodi never lets anyone know if he's troubled. He wants to help, but what could the brunette say when he's not really much a talker to begin with? Small talk is pretty much his limit.

"Uhhh, Hera?" Hera jumped when he realized they had already reached their class floor, and that he had been about to follow Aphrodi into his classroom. Aphrodi smiled, one hand on the closed door and the other jokingly pushing his friend as he asked, "Did you forget that your classroom's next door?"

Hera flushed and quickly said, "I just wanted to make sure you got to your class okay!"

"Ohhh, well thank you. I couldn't have made it on my own, oh you gallant hero, you!" Aphrodi laughed but it fizzled when Hera looked away. Hera was thankful for that; that kind of forced laughter didn't suit Aphrodi anyway. "S-sorry… that wasn't very funny…" Hera shook his head, then locked his blue eyes onto the dazzling scarlet ones.

"Hey, Terumi. You've been rather distant recently. And you've been acting really strange too. I know you're troubled over something, so why don't you just tell me?" There, he said it. "You've been spacing out too. Remember you got injured just last week during practice; by your own teammate of all things! It's not just me; everyone's a little worried for you too!" Aphrodi's mouth formed a small 'o' and then he cast his eyes downwards; his action told Hera that he had hit the nail on the head. Something _is_ bothering the golden haired boy… but what? He wanted to say more to get his friend talking but he didn't get the chance; Aphrodi had suddenly slid the classroom door open and slipped inside, and then he closed the door, leaving a dumbfounded Hera out in the corridor. _'Did he just… run away?' _

In the classroom, which was thankfully still deserted, Aphrodi leaned his back against the closed door. He breathed in deeply and exhaled.

_You've been rather distant recently. And you've been acting really strange too._

It's true; he'd been careful to be as normal as possible, but for Hera to notice easily… was he really alright? He wished he could have spoken more openly to his friend, but that would mean exposing Endou… and he had promised to keep that secret. And now he was seriously worrying his friends; what kind of captain does that?

Aphrodi slid down to a crouch, his arms hugging his knees tightly. _'Damn, it's because of Endou!' _He can't get the face he'd fallen for out of his mind and it's messing him up. Ever since that first meeting, the goalkeeper had stolen his stolen his heart, and without even knowing it, he'd had saved Aphrodi. Aphrodi had kept quiet about his feelings because Endou was with that damned Kazemaru, but it hurt desperately seeing the one he loved getting all misty eyed over another. And the current silent brooding Endou had put up walls around his heart that made getting close difficult. But Endou was with him now (sort of) and it was frightening how much more attracted to him Aphrodi was.

Aphrodi sighed. "I must be a masochist," he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I love Endou no matter how much it hurts."

* * *

><p><strong>Yet another chapter! I put Hera in because honestly, Aphrodi needs a friend right now! And ohhh, what was Endou doing that Saturday? <strong>

**Anyway, please read and review; it would make my day :D **


	10. Intruder

**Dark Days are Here**

**Intruder**

-Police safe house in Tokyo-

A red headed teenager sat on the floor, back against the cold iron bed frame, sterile white walls staring from all four sides. Really though, there was nothing else to look at: all the room contained are an iron frame bed (thin mattress included) under the only window, a faded blue rug, and a squat chest of drawers. The only decoration belonging to the current occupant was an aimless scribbling of his name on the patch of wall beneath the window still: _Kiyama Hiroto._

Unable to concentrate on the uninspiring décor, Hiroto heaved a sigh, rubbing his eyes for lack of anything else he could possibly do.

Ever since the "_Aliea Incident_", Sun Garden had been shut down pending investigation, forcing the residents to move out. It was no surprise to any of them; they were all used to being shifted from place to place anyway. But it wasn't just for the investigation that they had been moved; for their roles in the past they had been receiving a lot of hate mail and were being harassed by strangers in the street. There was even a stalking problem, by angry protestors and obsessed fans alike, so for their safety all the former aliens were moved into anonymous safe houses like this. The harassment was so bad they cannot even go to school, instead spending all that time confined.

Since the move Hiroto had resorted to staying in his room day in and day out. He barely spoke to his former so-called colleagues, the ex-captains of the alien teams, who were confined in this particular safe house with him. The former Choas captains refused to even look at him, and would rather prefer the company of the cops to Hiroto's. While Midorikawa was sympathetic it was obvious he missed his Gemini Storm friends more and Saginuma, being the eldest, preferred to be on his own anyway. For their particular roles they weren't even allowed to contact the others and have no idea where they were being held. The detective in charge, Onigawara, had said it was best that fewer people knew the exact location, in case certain people had any funny ideas such as breaking out and reforming the teams to menace the country again. Hiroto knew the old man had a point but it still makes him bristle. They had all been promised that the arrangement was temporary. But with the way things were they might as well have been sent to a juvenile prison. At least there they would have been able to do stuff to occupy their time.

His mind wondered back to that day when Genesis was beaten by Raimon… he smiled at the memory of the fiery Endou. How he had forgotten that he was human too, and that he had been sacrificing his life for the insane dreams of his so-called "father". Endou had made him realize it before it was too late. That smile changed into a frown as the other reason he was still in this safe house came to mind: that brutal attack on Raimon and Endou's disappearance, which had been at one point blamed on them. It had started as a rumour at first until, as was the nature of rumours, it grew into full blown accusations.

The red head exhaled, rubbing a hand through his hair roughly. He wanted to get out. He needed to see the Raimon members as soon as possible, to see with his own eyes what had happened. _'If only I could get out of here…'_

There was a sharp rap at the door, and a young harried-looking plainclothes officer stuck his head in. "Uhhh," the cop began. "Eh, there is someone here to see you." With that the officer withdrew.

Hiroto's eyebrows rose. Who would want to see _him_? But get up he did, gasping at the numbness that had crept up on him while he had been sitting. It took a while before the feeling returned to his legs and the officer waiting for him was not amused.

"Please hurry it up," he said, agitated and just a little bit rude.

At the cop's tone Hiroto lowered his chin and narrowed his eyes into a glare, stern enough to unnerve the man, who quickly stepped as far back from him as allowed. But seeing the effect did not sooth Hiroto at all; he was suddenly ashamed at himself for falling back into his alien persona. "So who is it?" he asked quietly, but the man just nodded for him to go downstairs, unwilling to speak to him again.

The answer was awaiting him at the foot of the stairs. Hiroto stiffened, eyes widened in shock. "_You?_"

His visitor smirked; the light glinted off his goggles. "Hey, Hiroto," he greeted so nonchalantly, as if they hadn't been enemies in the uncomfortably recent past.

"I need your help."

* * *

><p>-Meanwhile-<p>

In an alleyway near Coach Hibiki's restaurant Endou sneezed. At once he smacked his hand over his mouth and glanced hurriedly to the left and right.

Satisfied that he was completely alone he continued down the alley, which winds behind two other shops and ended at the backdoor of the _Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant_. It was slow going, what with large trashcans and the occasional stray cat hindering him.

The instant he saw the backdoor Endou began his search for the spare key. Hibiki had once told him that it is usually up on the ledge above the back door but he knew for a fact (courtesy of Haruna) that the old man actually hides it closer to the ground so as not to strain his back.

'_But where?'_

A small stack of bricks piled neatly up against the huge dumpster a meter away caught his eye. It seems like a rather Hibiki-like hiding place so he went over to the brinks – and immediately reeled back from the god awful odour of rotting noodles and meat emitted from the dumpster.

Endou groaned, "Are you serious?!"

If he hadn't needed to get into Hibiki's home above the _Ichiraku_ so badly he would have given up right then and there. But he did need to, so he took a deep breath and returned to the bricks. "It's around here somewhere, it had better be," he muttered as his right hand dived behind the bricks while his left hand held his headband over his nose and mouth, frowning in concentration. After his fingers scrabbled around blindly (more than once they touched something chillingly slimly) Endou had just about had enough. But as he began to pull his hand out it brushed against the dumpster's side and he felt something smooth; the smooth patch being clearly different from the dumpster's roughness. He twisted his wrist and scratched that area, grunting when he managed to peel the strange thing off. He peered closely at the object swathed in duct tape. "YES!" Endou whispered triumphantly as he held it up. It's so like Hibiki to keep his spare key in such a place.

He promptly returned to the door. One more check that all was clear then he slid the key into the keyhole. A grin lit up his face as the key turned with a faint _click_ and the door swung open into darkness. Endou slipped in and shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it too.

He gave his eyes time to adjust to the gloom, and the instant he could make out the vague silhouette of the room Endou moved cautiously, not even bothering to remove his shoes first; he did not have time at the moment for the usual visitor's etiquette. He moved stealthily to avoid brushing against any of the large pots and pans that were stacked neatly both on the floor and the countertops, the last thing he needed is the din of crashing cookware alerting the whole street.

The fridge hummed, deafening in the silence and making his empty stomach turn. The image of Aphrodi cooking came to him and Endou wanted to go back, to not have to do this anymore. He shook his head violently, forcing his mind back to the present. _'This has to be done first'_, he reminded himself.

It was easy to recall the layout of the house from what he could remember of all the times he had helped the old chef. Right ahead there should be the doorway that leads out to the restaurant itself, but just before that there should be another passageway branching off, and with stairs leading up to the coach's apartment. Endou had never actually been up there, having only worked around the restaurant downstairs but if there's any place where what he was after is kept then up those stairs his best bet. He rounded the corner and started up them, painfully slow so as not to disturb any creaky boards. He reached the landing after what felt like eternity (really 1 ½ minute tops) but before he could take another step, the dull _thud _of the back door opening downstairs froze him on the spot.

His first thought was, '_Coach Hibiki?_'

There came a sound like scraping, as if some pots had been disturbed by a careless hand and just narrowly prevented from falling. It sounded like whoever it was was unfamiliar with the place. The sudden noise of a stack of pots crashing followed by barely hushed cursing made Endou almost stopped breathing. There was no doubt now that he was not alone in the building, and it wasn't Hibiki crashing around below. Swallowing hard, he left the landing and stepped further into the Coach's home, blessing the tiled floor that didn't betray his presence. Like downstairs, the old man's apartment was gloomy save for a thin ray of the rapidly fading afternoon light that shone through a gap in the curtains of the only window in the room. In the dim light, Endou saw that he had ended up in the living room. He could make out the vague outlines of the dining table (or was it a desk?) in the left corner of the room and the medium sized television in front of an armchair close to him. Right behind the armchair was a door, presumably leading to the bedroom. Endou stood in between the TV and the armchair, his heart beating hard. Everything else was hidden from him.

'_Dammit, what do I do?' _

He tried to swallow but his mouth was dry. His senses on high alert, ears strained to listen to the intruder's movements but he could not hear anything now that he was further away from the kitchen. If the other person decided to come upstairs then Endou wouldn't hear them unless they carelessly tramped on the creaky steps on the way up. Then again, if he needed to escape he could just go through the window – but then the neighbouring shopkeepers knew him very well and would recognise him instantly; they would alert the authorities, and then the Dark Emperors will be after him again.

'_Okay calm down,'_ he thought. _'Whoever is down there, they probably don't know I'm up here. I have the advantage.'_ The room is dark. If it comes to that, Endou could ambush the intruder with the darkness as his cover then make his getaway. Another thought came to him. Just how did they get in? He still has the key; he was going to put it back where he had found it when he was done here and as far as he knew it was the only spare.

Suddenly a deafening _CRREEEAAAAKKKK_ pierced the air, all but echoing in Endou's eardrums. _ The intruder was coming up the stairs!_

Another two steps groaned as the intruder ascended the stairs, although a lot quieter now that the climber was bit more cautious. "_Shit!_" Endou whispered. He scanned the darkness in desperation. He went for the closest doorknob and thankfully the hinges made no sound as the door was pushed open. He darted into the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Once inside he stared about and what he saw made his heart sink. The room was not the bedroom as he had thought – it was actually the bathroom… "Dammit!" Endou hissed, leaning against the door. _'I wasted time thinking on how this guy got in when I should have been looking for a way out.' _He stared at his reflection in the mirror across from him. His reflection stared back, panting feverishly, eyes wide in panic. Endou shut in his eyes briefly, trying to calm himself. He opened them again to look over to the huge tub that practically took up more than half the space. Next to the mirror and also on the wall across from the tub were two smallish windows. Even if he had wanted to escape through either of them he wouldn't be able to; they were much too small for him to fit through. By now the unknown intruder must be on the other side of the door. Endou could not go out that way; the bathroom offered no means of escape.

In other words, he was trapped.

There came sounds like slow shuffling from behind the door now. They were still soft even with Endou's ear pressed to the wood. It sounded like this other person (Endou wished like crazy that there was only one) was taking the liberty of exploring the apartment. He hoped that they wouldn't bother with the bathroom now, at least not until after he finds a way out.

After a while the shuffling faded and barely a moment later Endou heard the slight sound of another door opening (the _real_ bedroom door perhaps) and then all was quiet. Maybe he or she had entered the bedroom. If so then this is an opportunity to sneak out. Quietly, slowly, Endou turned the knob and pushed the door open a fraction, just enough to peek through. By now the afternoon had turned into evening, the apartment was in complete darkness, and he could not distinguish even the outlines of the furniture. No wait; there was a flash of light from a door that he had not seen when he came in, which now stood wide open. He slipped out and kneeled behind the armchair, risking another peek as he did so. Thanks to the intruder's flashlight Endou was able to make out a writing desk beyond the door – and for a heart-stopping moment a silhouette came into view, rummaging through what sounded like papers on the desk, facing away from the opening. Endou quickly withdrew. But he felt rather calm. Because the figure had appeared to be very small, someone _he_ could take out, if he moved fast. He guessed the distance between his space behind the chair and the person at the door – a couple of meters at most. The element of surprise was definitely on his side today. Retreating further behind the armchair Endou took a deep breath, and then another, exhaling soundlessly.

Then he looked over again – and found himself staring right into Megane's face.

_Megane._ His friend! He stared at his reflection in the large glasses and for the briefest of moments there was relieved smile was upon his lips. But he remembered a twisted body and broken glasses upon a bloody ground. _'Isn't Megane dead?' _And before he could back away Megane's cold hands reached out and curled around his throat. A strange violet glimmer shone at the throat across from him. The bespectacled boy squeezed with an inhuman strength, and Endou's own hands were enclosed around the other's wrists and it took all his might in just trying to pry off the deadly hands, and he was losing too easily. Spots swam before Endou's eyes as he struggled to breathe. He was close to passing out.

"D-damn… y-you," he gasped, his right hand falling to his lap.

Megane gave him an insane, out of character grin as he squeezed the life out of the Raimon captain, and for a minute Kazemaru's face seemed to be there; it was Kazemaru who was suffocating him, the awful insane grin marring his beautiful face. With a scream, Endou's fallen hand blindly swept up and caught the glasses, knocking them clean off Megane's nose. Kazemaru disappeared and Megane's death grip loosened only slightly in his surprise but that second was all Endou needed to bring his other hand, now a closed fist, smashing into the left side of the other's head. The hold was released entirely as Megane's hand instinctively covered his face. Blinded, he stumbled backwards, Endou following him up like lightning. Then Megane's left leg bumped hard into a low coffee table. In the momentary loss of balance, without thinking, Endou tackled him. They landed on the table, smashing it completely under their combined force. Endou sat atop the other's body, trying to pin him down but his assailant, even blinded and gasping fitfully, still some fight in him.

Megane's left hand smacked off Endou's grip and then curled in a fist, smashed into Endou's mouth. The force was so great that the Raimon captain was thrown off. He landed about a foot from the stairs, accompanied by a sickening _crack_ and an almost blinding pain shot up his left arm. Pain blossomed from the joints that held his lower jaw and Endou was sure it had been torn off by the blow; if it were not for the groan escaping through gritted teeth as he rolled onto his back and gingerly felt his wrist, he would have been sure it had. But he had no time to check the damage as a recovered Megane loomed right over him. Up close, Endou saw that he was wearing a cloak, the horribly familiar uniform of the Dark Emperors underneath. He was also clutching in his hands something that looked suspiciously like the coffee table's broken leg.

"You joined the Dark Emperors too?!" Endou asked thickly, panting heavily. How was this possible? He had seen Megane's body with his own eyes that day. Had he actually survived? "H-how could you, Megane?! They killed our _friends_!"

"I'm not the Megane you knew," the addressed male muttered, his wide eyes staring wildly, the glasses glinted ominously. Endou's own eyes widened as the boy revealed, "My name's Kuzuto… it was my twin who died that day. _My big brother!_" He hefted the table leg and swung. "And you have died too, Endou Mamoru!"

Endou rolled over and the improvised weapon made a loud _thunk _on the spot where his head had been a second ago. Another ripple of pain shot through his arm as he rolled back to his previous spot to avoid Megane's second attack.

"Dammit! Dammit!" raged the younger Megane, poised with the wood above his head. "_Just stay still and let me finish you off, you bastard!_"

"_THE HELL I WILL!"_ Endou, pain fuelling his anger, managed to half-sit up and in that position he punched the bespectacled menace in the knee with his good hand. Kazuto staggered. The knee was targeted again, Endou putting all the strength he could master into that second strike. He grinned delightedly as Megane screamed in pain. The grin turned into a pained grimace as Megane swiftly paid him back – by kicking Endou so hard his body flew as if it were nothing more than soccer ball, he even cart wheeled in the air before he crashed into the stairs. He had enough sense left to hold on to the railing, keeping himself from rolling down the stairs. His eyes had shut instinctively to the pain, shut so tightly he couldn't open them again if he wanted to.

He wanted to just fold over, it hurt so badly even to breathe.

Megane Kuzuto let his improvised club drop from his hand. He slowly walked over to the body of the person responsible for his brother's death. "It's your fault," he muttered. "It's your fault. It's your fault." He was disappointed to see that Endou wheezed, clutching his left wrist protectively to his chest. He was sure he had kicked hard enough to kill him. Looks like Endou Mamoru was more resilient than Kazemaru had believed. His hands clenched into fists at the thought of that sicko captain of his. What would killing Endou mean for Kuzuto: praise for finishing what the others had started or punishment just because the captain felt like it? Hard to figure out with that unpredictable temper of his.

"Tch, it's your fault everything's like this!" he said, reaching down to grab Endou's collar. That's right, it was Endou Mamoru's fault for all this. If he hadn't formed that team, then his brother wouldn't have joined. He wouldn't have been killed just for being on the team. He wouldn't have left his little brother alone. _'It's Endou's fault!' _

He tugged at the collar but for some reason he couldn't lift the body. Strange... his crystal should allow him the strength to do so even if Endou is taller than himself. He tugged again but only managed barely a centimetre off the ground. Endou groaned pathetically in protest as Kuzuto pulled even harder but he couldn't budge the body and his arms were screaming. _'What's going on?!' _ It's not supposed to be like this, he's supposed to be stronger! '_The Aliea crystal'_ – Kuzuto fumbled for his fragment he wore on a thick cord around his neck but only the cord, now snapped in two, could be felt.

He froze, his mind still processing what his fingers are feeling. No wonder Endou seemed to hold his own against him... He couldn't feel it. No smooth surface of a small stone, just the rough thread of the cord that had held it.

'_M-my crystal… I dropped it…' _

"_I DROPPED IT?!" _he screamed and ripped off his cloak to search in it. Forget Endou, he's not important anymore. "_T-t-the crystal! THE CRYSTAL! Where, where?" _ he wailed. He spun around, hoping to find the reassuring purple shine in the darkness, but then he heard the distant wail of police sirens. Kuzuto was torn; get out of this place before the police arrive and leave behind his precious fragment, or try to salvage this mission _without_ the power of the crystal. The sirens were deafening as Megane Kuzuto fell to his knees, his hands gripping his hair.

"_Big Brother, please come and save me."_

And all while Kazuto was having his spaz attack Endou had managed to slowly drag himself downstairs. At the final bottom step, he could barely stand, let alone walk. The fight took more out of him than he had expected. He berated himself though for not expecting that the Dark Emperors would think of the same thing he had. How could he have been so careless!?

His eyes could only barely manage to open to squint. His hearing at least seemed okay, if the wailing upstairs was anything to go by. As for his other senses… he could taste blood. It wasn't from inside his mouth, so maybe he had busted his lip back there. Endou decided he did _not _like the coppery taste. As for his wrist and abdomen, they felt like they hanging only by a shred of skin, he could barely move. Endou tried to ignore the pain that fogged up his mind. Somehow he pictured Aphrodi's face, a worried but kind expression, and the image gave Endou a feeling lightness. _'He'll faint if he saw me right now,'_ Endou thought wryly, a small, pained smile on his damaged face.

* * *

><p>-Speaking of Aphrodi-<p>

Across town, walking home with a heavy heart, Aphrodi couldn't get Hera's words out of his head.

"_I know you're troubled over something, so why don't you just tell me?"_

"Dammit," he mumbled, stopping in front of a large shop window. He did want to tell him, but he made a promise to Endou. _'Sorry, Hera.'_

Glancing sideways, he noticed his reflection in the glass. He looked really tired, with a hint of turmoil on his face. Anyone could see he was troubled from a mile also noticed that the street was empty. _'Odd.'_ Usually this street is teeming with people at this hour.

Out of the blue he felt an unpleasant feeling in his stomach, like it was being tied into a knot, and instinctively his eyes travelled upward from his reflected face… Kazemaru Ichirouta's reflection grinned at him over his shoulder.

"_Holy Gods!_" Startled, Aphrodi jumped away from the window... and into the burly arms of some bald, brownish-green skinned guy wearing a trench coat and black gloves.

"What the – haaammphhh?!" his words were cut off when his captor stamped a damp sweet chemical smelling cloth on his nose and mouth. The awful heady scent invaded his senses; it was stinging his skin, his throat and the inside of his nose. Ever so slightly fanciful, he imagined the fumes snaking their way right into his brain. He heard Kazemaru say something but the chemical, whatever it was, was fast working and everything faded away.

**I know, shoddy attempt at cliffhangers But anyway, hey everyone, or at least those still following this thing, sorry (again) for the wait (again), I had some personal issues with the train wreck that is my life. **

**But yay, Hiroto and Kidou are gonna have important parts to play later on! And I hope you liked the fight scene. **


	11. Interim

**Dark Days are Here**

**Interim **

Detective Onigawara leaned back in the swivel chair and glared over the desk at the young redhead seated across the desk. It had been a trying morning and then he gets a call from _this_ kid claiming he's got some idea on the Raimon case. He even took the hour long trip to get to the safe house, but what he's heard so far is just too farfetched to believe.

"So you're telling me," he began, frown deepening. "You're telling me that there may be _another_ bunch of super powered humans?"

The lad nodded. "Yes."

"And they were the ones behind the deaths of the Raimon soccer team?"

"Yes."

Onigawara studied Hiroto, trying to find signs of a lie. But the redhead's a cool customer; he gazed levelly back. His mind tried to fit in the pieces of information Hiroto had given him with what he already knew. _A super villain team… that's insane! _Then again, with everything he has seen, it is not so unlikely. The theory's got merit. How else would the team that took down super powered humans be wiped out but by another super powered team? But there was something else that bothered him.

"But why? What would they go after a middle school soccer team, if they have the power to take over the country?"

Hiroto stared at him the same way a teacher might stare at a particularly slow student. _Ah, right. _There was the precedent set by Hiroto's lot, how could he forget?

"And where is it that you got this info?" he asked tightly. At this Hiroto finally lowered his eyes.

"I… can't tell you," he muttered, frowning.

The grizzled detective snorted mirthlessly. "And yet you expect me to believe you? You won't even let this whole conversation be on record. How do I know you're not lying?"

"I assure you it's the truth, Detective!" Hiroto exclaimed, sitting even straighter. Damn Kidou for swearing him to secrecy. _"I don't want to tip off the Dark Emperors that I'm on to them," _he had explained, less than a day ago. Hiroto couldn't even tell the Detective, which makes his job of convincing him all the more difficult. And what he was asking: to be release from custody so that he can conduct his own investigation, as if the police were not doing enough about it. And just as he thought, the old man did not look at all like he believed in Hiroto's theory. Why would he, after all that went down in the past?

The old man sighed. "You know it's not as simple as letting you walk out the door. I have to go through the proper channels. I also need a really good reason as to why I have to let you loose in Tokyo –"

"Don't go through channels," Hiroto suddenly cut-in, almost jolting the older man out of his chair. "Everything you do will go on file and for all we know, these other "aliens" might be keeping an eye on the police databases."

Straightening up, the detective sighed. "Your sources tell you that too, or are you just desperately throwing out theories?" he asked wearily. Hiroto stared back silently, out of words._ 'We're not getting anywhere with this_.' If only Kidou wasn't so paranoid. After all, from what he'd seen of the man, Hiroto knew Onigawara is trustworthy. He should know the truth.

Gritting his teeth, and sending a silent apology to Kidou, he tried again. "Listen – "

"I think that we're done today," the detective cut in as he hefted himself up and left the small office, without so much as a backward glance to the fuming teen. _'Huh? Huh?!' _What the hell? Was Onigawara seriously not going to listen to him?!

Shocked, Hiroto could do nothing but listen as the old man's footsteps receded. When he guessed the detective had reached the front door and was probably handing out new orders to his underlings he whipped out a cell phone. It was a plain, unmarked model with only one number saved in it. He called it and waited patiently as the ringing went on and on, until a faint click as someone answered.

"_How'd it go?"_ Kidou sounded rather tense. Quickly Hiroto filled him in on what happened, whispering agitatedly as he strained to hear for the other occupants of the building. After all he wasn't supposed to have a phone in the first place.

"So what now? Unless he gets a good reason, he can't let me go." Kidou was silent.

He had known it was a long shot, but Kidou had been counting on the detective's almost rabid sense of justice; how could he have known even the detective was such a stickler for rules. _"Okay, I didn't want to do this but it looks like we'll have to tell him after all,"_ he finally said.

"Why not tell him in the first place, Kidou?" Hiroto griped. "It would have saved me from making Onigawara's already low opinion of me drop even further."

Kidou sighed. "_I told you, we don't know just how far their shadow stretches. It's for our safety and that of everyone who helps us that they don't know we're onto them._"

Hiroto thought of his friends; they could end up taking the fall for this if the real killers continue running loose. Or worse, they could be the next targets. "Okay, I get it. I think the Detective is still here so I can still catch hi – "

"_Actually, Hiroto_," Kidou cut in, "_I will explain it to him. No offence, but he might not be as receptive of you again after this afternoon. I'm sorry_," he added quickly. "_And we need to move fast…"_ Kidou's voice trailed off, as if he was thinking of something.

"What happened?"

The line went quiet and Hiroto wondered if Kidou had hung up, at least until he replied at last, "_I found Endou… and Aphrodi of Zeus has been kidnapped." _

-Dark Emperors' Headquarters-

Aphrodi paced the tiny cell, whiling away the time until someone comes for him. Because they can't have kidnapped him just to leave him to rot in this room? He hoped not.

The pacing had an unwelcomed side benefit; the monotonous activity made him recall everything that had happened: the Raimon Tragedy; his first run-in with Kazemaru; finding Endou; getting drugged by some creep who might be working with Kazemaru… like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces suddenly fell into place, and he finally saw it: _Kazemaru is behind the Raimon team's murders! _The gray door became the victim of a vicious kick. "How could I have been so dense?!" he seethed, kicking the door again, then again, and again. How could he have not seen it? The the way Kazemaru had looked him up and down that day – gods, how long ago was that? Just a few weeks ago. He had chalked it up to some kind of weird side effect of grief instead of seeing it for what it really was. Disgust and anger welled up in his chest – how could he have been so blind, so stupid?!

And what about Endou? Aphrodi could only guess what it must have been like for him to be betrayed by his lover.

_BANG BANG BANG _

Aphrodi reeled away from the door just seconds before it was wrenched open and two men entered. They were of different heights, one just barely taller than Aphrodi, and the other perhaps a good 2 meters tall. But they were similar in other ways: burly with a sickly greenish tinge to their skins, shiny bald heads, shinier shades, blank expressions.

"Come with us," said the short one, who waited by the door. His compatriot had circled behind Aphrodi, ready to usher (shove) him out if required.

Aphrodi folded his arms, coldly eyeing the short goon. "And where are we going?" he asked. A light jostle from the tall goon behind was his reply before the two escorted him out the cell and down the corridor.

"Come on," the short one snarled. It only really made his ugly face even uglier so Aphrodi spitefully decided to name them the Troll and the Giant.

Now that he was conscious he could finally see what a grey and dreary place he had been kept in. The lights overhead cast a dull light and one occasionally flickered. The corridor was wide enough for Aphrodi's escorts to walk comfortably with him in between. The air stank of stale sweat and metal. Ten minutes in they came to a fork, the right labelled "Stairs" and the left labelled "Elevators". The Troll clamped a meaty paw on Aphrodi's arm, steering him toward the left passage. It was dark and narrow and gave Aphrodi a really bad feeling.

"What are you doing?" The trio stopped as a rough voice suddenly called out behind them. The Troll turned and his demeanour went from thuggish to demure. "Ah, sir! We, er we were taking the boy down to the labs. Orders, you see. Sir." If the situation wasn't so dire Aphrodi might be laughing at Troll's simpering.

The Giant's hands clamped onto Aphrodi's shoulders, keeping him from turning around, but he didn't need to see the person to recognise that voice.

_Someoka._ Aphrodi felt like his stomach had dropped to his feet and his head began to ache. '_Gods, Someoka too?!' _

"On whose orders?" Someoka asked.

"C-captain Kazemaru, sir!" Aphrodi's heart dropped to his stomach. '_Captain? When did Kazemaru become captain, the Raimon club had been closed all this time. Unless… who else is working with Kazemaru? '_

"Is that so?" Someoka drawled, walking up to them. Troll seemed to shrink and the Giant's grip slackened a fraction. Aphrodi would have broken loose, this was his chance, but he was rooted to this spot. He still could not turn but even from here he felt Someoka had that same heavy atmosphere he had associated with Kazemaru.

"Then I'll take him down for you," the pink head offered conversationally. The Troll hesitated, then with a sharp nod he yanked his buddy and within seconds the goons had disappeared down the corridor they had come from.

Leaving Aphrodi alone.

With Someoka.

Aphrodi wondered just what Someoka did to make even grown men afraid.

"I hope you prove to be better company than those two," Aphrodi said as coldly as he could, trying to quell the sickening fear. He still hadn't turned around. He didn't feel like he could. His insides clenched uncomfortably and it took everything to keep his body from shaking.

"Tch, still playing the god even if you've got nothin'!" Suddenly pain exploded from the back of his head, and he went down. Gods, it hurt! The back of his head throbbed and his left wrist stung; it seems to have scraped against the ground just now. Bright colours danced before his eyes, he had to shut them tight, they were too bright yet they danced behind his eyelids too.

"Oi, oi, don't be playin' dead on me." Aphrodi was suddenly choking, as something pulled the back of his uniform and his collar stretched tight around his throat. He was suddenly lifted off the ground, airborne for all of 3 seconds, and then all breath left him as he collided with the wall. He slid down, panting harshly. _W-what the hell was that?! _ He had never felt such pain before. Fingers threaded through his hair, thick and calloused, and they gripped the gold strands tight. Aphrodi whimpered, and then began full hissing as he was lifted off the ground by the hair. At this moment, he had never hated anyone as he does Someoka now. _How dare he, how dare he – ! _He couldn't move, he was literally a sitting duck. No, he hated himself more as his body slid into ragdoll mode. This was not a fight he recognized, this was no even match.

"Still feelin' like a god now, you girly boy? Or are you totally _mortal_ now, huh?" Aphrodi's left cheek burst in searing pain as Someoka's free hand connected with it. Then his right cheek caught a brutal backhand. And then again, and again. It hurt, it hurt so much. Aphrodi couldn't hold on anymore, and weakly he let his consciousness fade.

Someoka let him go. The body crumpled on the ground, seemingly lifeless. Someoka sighed. "Looks like I went too far, huh." Kazemaru had warned him not to get too rough on the blonde but when he saw the way that punk refused to even face him it was like something snapped. Like he had gone back to a time when even that girly boy could have taken him down with one kick.

Now Someoka felt a little frustrated at having lost his temper. Aphrodi was small fry now, a nothing. There's no reason for his _captain _to bring him here. "Tch. Bastard." Well, if Kazemaru didn't like it, that's his problem.

Ah, but this needs to be cleaned up. Someoka pulled out the communication device, one of the many prototypes the scientists here were constantly making, and he checked the positions of the nearest D.E. members. He groaned. The closest one is Kabeyama, the annoying cry baby. _Shit. Well, whatever. _Still better than having to do it himself. He sent a message, didn't want to call and hear the annoying sniffling, and went his way back to the main elevator.

He didn't look back once.

**And oww, please don't be angry with me because I made you wait for this. I hope if anyone is still reading this fic that you still like it and that you will like this chapter. If not, constructive criticism is welcomed, I'll take anything to make this fic better. **


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